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Fake Yale student scandal raises alarms over academic fraud, foreign influence risks

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Fake Yale student scandal raises alarms over academic fraud, foreign influence risks

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An Ivy League student accused of making up an entire life story to gain admission was expelled earlier this semester, prompting fresh concerns over academic fraud and gaps in university vetting that experts say could also expose elite institutions to foreign influence and espionage risks.

At Yale University in Connecticut, administrators recently kicked out an undergrad student identified as “Katherina Lynn” after she allegedly lied about her background, according to the Yale Daily News, a student-run paper.

She reportedly comes from California’s Bay Area but adopted a “Western name” to distance herself from her Chinese-American roots, the online magazine Air Mail reported, and allegedly concocted a fake origin story, reinventing herself as a daughter of rural North Dakota.

MULTI-COLLEGE STUDY CLAIMS OVER 80% OF STUDENTS LIE ABOUT THEIR VIEWS TO APPEASE LIBERAL PROFESSORS

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Cleanup crews work on an oil spill just north of Tioga, North Dakota, Oct 24, 2013. The town is where an alleged Yale fraudster claimed to be from. She was really from California’s wealthy Bay Area. (Ken Cedeno/Corbis via Getty Images)

“She knew that… when it comes to diversity, it’s not just about race,” said Adam Nguyen, founder of Ivy Link and a former Columbia admissions advisor. “Diversity for colleges has a much broader definition. It also includes socioeconomic diversity… and geographic diversity. So she made herself into basically a White applicant with a very Caucasian-sounding name from a little town in North Dakota.”

Next, she spent years plotting to fool Ivy League admissions teams and forging paperwork until she wound up as a Yale freshman. It was a suspicious roommate who uncovered the scheme, according to the report — by looking at her luggage tags and finding another name and address.

“As with any institution, whether it’s elite universities like Columbia, Harvard, Yale or workplaces, any employer, you’ll see that if someone has the intent and the talent to do it, they can get through the screening process, whether it’s faking your transcript, faking employment record, faking even testimonials from former employers or teachers, etc.,” Nguyen said. “So you’re seeing that here, this particular individual went through great lengths, right, and knew how to do all the right things. That said, the college admissions process is essentially trust but verify. Right now, they use different things like software, they do spot checking, but at the end of the day, it’s not 100% foolproof.”

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Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, which recently expelled a freshman student after reportedly learning that she’d misrepresented her academic credentials to get accepted. (Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

While there’s no evidence she has ties to a foreign government, the scandal raises questions about keeping schools safe from bad actors.

The State Department has been warning of Chinese influence on American and Canadian university campuses going back to at least 2020, when officials said Chinese government-linked groups were using academic partnerships and exchange programs to collect sensitive research and influence U.S. students and faculty.

And the Heritage Foundation lists the infiltration of the Chinese Communist Party into American education as a threat at “all levels” of academia, from kindergarten classrooms up to elite universities.

ANCIENT RARE CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS STOLEN IN ALLEGED SCHEME BY MAN USING MULTIPLE ALIASES

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The Old Campus Courtyard at Yale University on Sept. 28, 2022, in New Haven, Connecticut. (Stan Godlewski for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Nguyen said graduate programs could pose the highest risk, because students often gain access to sensitive research and laboratory systems.

The recent exposure of an Iowa superintendent as an illegal immigrant with a criminal record and allegedly falsified academic background is yet another example of lax vetting in education.

Ian Roberts, who had been superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was making $270,000 a year. And the district announced a lawsuit this month against the consulting firm that helped hire him.

Former Des Moines superintendent Ian Andre Roberts, who was detained by ICE and federally charged. (Polk County Sheriff)

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US UNIVERSITIES TRAINING CHINESE MILITARY SCIENTISTS ON TAXPAYER DIME, COMMITTEE WARNS

Last year, after a web sleuth exposed a student from India as an academic fraud, Lehigh University in Pennsylvania launched an internal investigation into its admissions process, according to The Brown and White, a campus newspaper.

The student, identified as then-19-year-old Aryan Anand, allegedly outlined his scheme in a Reddit post that described using a sock puppet email to pose as his high school principal, faking his father’s death to get more financial aid money, editing his transcripts and tax fraud, the student outlet reported.

And then the internal probe led to criminal charges against four more students from Ghana who were accused of financial aid fraud.

SURVIVOR OF CHINA’S CULTURAL REVOLUTION WARNS AGAINST LETTING 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS STUDY AT US COLLEGES

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Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut, on April 7, 2024. (Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Lehigh scandals prompted the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that advocates for lower immigration levels, to urge Homeland Security Investigations to launch a wider review last year.

“If a random slacker can pull off this scam, terrorists and the Chinese government can, too,” the think tank warned, while also noting one of the 9/11 hijackers had been in the U.S. on a student visa, and immigration authorities denied entry to five other would-be conspirators, finding they were not students or tourists as they claimed.

The Yale University campus on April 4, 2015. It is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, founded in 1701. (iStock)

“There’s always going to be some successful fraudster that will make it through,” Nguyen said. “That will make for a good story, but the vast majority of students are legitimate.”

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And if “Katherina Lynn” had put as much effort into her studies as her fake background story, she could probably have gotten into an elite school on her own merit, he said.

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

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Boston, MA

How to buy Paraguay vs. Germany 2026 World Cup tickets in Boston

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How to buy Paraguay vs. Germany 2026 World Cup tickets in Boston


Editor’s note: Follow live World Cup standings updates and analysis for the round of 32

Paraguay fans can breathe a sigh of relief, their team is headed to the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.

Paraguay rebounded nicely after a tough first match against the United States, defeating Turkey and drawing Australia, finishing the group stage in third place and officially qualifying for the knockout rounds when Uruguay lost to Spain on Friday night.

However, it does not get easier from here, as Paraguay will take on Germany in the round of 32.

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SHOP: Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup tickets

The match will take place outside of Boston at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. and is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to buy tickets for Paraguay vs. Germany’s in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.

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Germany vs. Paraguay round of 32 World Cup ticket price

With its Group E win, Germany will play its Round of 32 match at Gillette Stadium on Monday, June 29. As of publication, the cheapest available tickets for Germany’s game in Boston start at $1,044.

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Germany World Cup Round of 32 game information

  • Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
  • What time: 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Tickets: Starting at $826
  • When: Monday, June 29

Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets

More: Here’s how to buy 2026 World Cup Final tickets in New York

When is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?

Germany clinched the top spot in Group E on Saturday, its Round of 32 match will take place on Monday, June 29.

Where is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?

Germany and Paraguay will play their round of 32 game outside of Boston. This will be the team’s first game in Foxborough, Mass. for the tournament.

Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets

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Germany World Cup schedule

  • Sunday, June 14: Germany def. Curaçao WIN 7-1
  • Saturday, June 20: Germany vs. Ivory Coast WIN 2-1
  • Thursday, June 25: Germany vs. Ecuador LOSS 2-1
  • Monday, June 29: Germany vs Paraguay in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets

Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets

World Cup Group E standings

Paraguay World Cup schedule

  • Paraguay vs. United States – LOSS 4-1
  • Paraguay vs. Turkey – WIN 1-0
  • Paraguay vs. Australia – DRAW 0-0
  • Monday, June 29 – Paraguay vs. Germany in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets

World Cup Group D Standings

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Pittsburg, PA

South Side Street Fest adds more metal detectors and ID scanner to speed up lines

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South Side Street Fest adds more metal detectors and ID scanner to speed up lines


The South Side Street Fest added additional metal detectors and ID scanners, plus a dedicated line for locals, to help people get in faster after long lines were reported for the event’s first outing last weekend.  

There were no lines at 11 p.m. on Friday, the event’s second night, but an organizer said Saturday, when they usually see larger crowds, will be a better test of the new measures. While attendees praised the event’s first night from a safety standpoint, with no arrests and an average number of citations issued, some criticized how long it took to get in on June 20.

“It’s a little overkill. I kind of had to wait 30 minutes,” Justin McCord said. “The line was just startling to me.”  

John DeMauro, a business owner and member of the South Side Hospitality Partnership, which is working with the city to put on the event, said leaders have heard the feedback.   

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“We got more people than we thought there [would be],” DeMauro said. “There was a little bit of a wait to get into the entrances.”

They’ve since added four ID scanners and two more metal detectors, he said.   

“We should be able to move those lines along fairly quickly this week,” DeMauro said.   

The event is restricted to people 21 and up, but anyone under 21 who lives within the footprint can still get through. They’ll be escorted to their homes, a police commander told KDKA-TV, adding that few kids live inside the event’s footprint.   

They also have a new solution for South Side residents to enter the footprint faster: a local lane pass. Acting just like a fast pass at an amusement park, those who have it can go through a dedicated entry line.

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“Wanted that to be quicker, wanted that to be not as cumbersome,” he said.   

Anyone who lives in the 15203 zip code, which covers the entire South Side, can register for the pass online, he said. At the 18th Street security checkpoint on Friday, residents had to show their ID with the 15203 zip code to go through the local lane.   

Because the zip code is used, it means it’s not just for people who live inside the footprint. Anyone who lives on the South Side can enter using the pass, for instance, if they want to grab something from a corner store. Fifty people had registered as of 7 p.m. on Friday.   

The line also helps to get delivery drivers through, Zone 3’s police commander said.   

A bar owner within the footprint told KDKA-TV last week that during the fest’s debut, they saw a lot of people on the street but fewer in bars. But because it’s so early, they said they weren’t concerned.

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“I think that’s the general consensus,” DeMauro said. “It was a really good start to it, but our intention is to make it grow. I think that’s the biggest thing we want people to understand.”   

He added that the intention moving forward is to keep listening to feedback and making changes to improve the festival. He also encouraged people to come down to test the improved security measures themselves.



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Connecticut

Newly released video shows Connecticut prison officers striking inmate before he died

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Newly released video shows Connecticut prison officers striking inmate before he died


HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut prison inmate J’Allen Jones was suffering a mental health crisis in 2018 when correctional officers struck him multiple times, stripped him naked, put a spit bag over his head and sprayed pepper spray at his face shortly before he died.

Video of the series of events was released Friday by a state judge in Hartford overseeing Jones’ family’s lawsuit against eight officers and a prison nurse, following a yearslong legal battle and after both sides agreed to certain redactions.

The Department of Correction had sought to keep it sealed since 2019, saying in part that its release could present security problems because it shows the physical layout of the prison and staffing patterns. But Jones’ family, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut and local NAACP officials called for publicly releasing the video, saying transparency was needed in Jones’ death.

“The events in the video are as disturbing as the events in the video of George Floyd’s death,” Ron Murphy, a lawyer for Jones’ family, wrote in a court document, referring to the man killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. “But in some ways, the video of J’Allen’s death is worse.”

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Jones, 31, from Atlanta, was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of New Haven when he died on March 25, 2018. Correction officers had been trying to take him to a medical unit in the prison at the time to get treatment for his mental illness.

Handcuffed inmate appeared in crisis as officers struck him

Portions of the 52-minute video show Jones handcuffed behind his back — and later with his legs shackled — as officers hit his legs and torso with their knees and fists, after he refused a strip search. At one point, an officer pins him down on a bed with a knee on his back while others hold him down.

Jones — who was having a schizophrenic episode, according to court documents — is heard yelling at this point, much of it unintelligible. He repeatedly shouts, “In the blood of Jesus Christ!” At one point, he tells officers, “I command you … to uncuff me now!”

Officers, meanwhile, tell Jones numerous times to stop resisting and to calm down. One officer tells Jones they’re just trying to help him.

About 17 minutes into the video, Jones appears to start having trouble breathing after the spit bag was placed over his head and he was pepper sprayed. Nearly five minutes later, Jones appears to be unconscious as officers struggle to hold him up and put him in a wheelchair. At around the 24-minute mark, an officer requests a nurse to evaluate Jones.

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“Right now he’s just being dead weight, and I just want to make sure he’s OK,” the officer says, talking to the video camera held by another officer.

Minutes go by before life-saving measures are started

About 28 minutes into the video, a nurse starts performing CPR and an officer orders someone over the radio to call 911. An ambulance crew doesn’t arrive until more than 43 minutes into the video. Jones was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Hours after Jones’ death, the Department of Correction put out a brief statement saying that Jones had become “non-compliant and combative with staff and then became non-responsive.” It did not say anything about officers striking Jones but noted that there were no immediate indications that excessive force was used. It said life-saving measures were performed and he was brought to a hospital.

The medical examiner’s office determined that the cause of Jones’ death was “sudden death during struggle and restraint with chest compression and pepper spray exposure in person with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” It ruled his death a homicide, although that designation does not necessarily mean a crime was committed.

In January 2019, a state prosecutor investigating Jones’ death determined that no crimes were committed.

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An internal Correction Department investigation found that excessive force was not used. But the eight officers and nurse violated policy by not recognizing for more than seven minutes that Jones was in medical distress — although not intentionally, the investigation report said.

Punishment of one-day suspensions without pay were handed down to the nine staff members, Correction Department records show.

The correctional officers’ union did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Family lawyer hopes video release spurs calls for reforms

Allen was Black, and his lawyer says eight of the nine defendants are white. One is Black. In court papers seeking release of the video, Murphy said it’s important that the public sees the footage and can consider “whether his race or schizophrenia played any role in how his cries for help and gasps for air were perceived and handled.”

“I hope everyone who chooses to watch the video does so with an open heart, remembering that J’Allen Jones was a father and a son and that his family grieves every day,” Murphy said in a statement Friday afternoon, adding that he hoped the video leads to prison system improvements.

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He added, “I found the video very difficult to watch as it depicts the painful death of another human being. So please take care of yourself while watching and if you experience overwhelming feelings, consider taking a break or reaching out to someone for support. Thank you.”

Responding to a series of questions from The Associated Press about the video and how officers dealt with Jones, the Correction Department’s interim commissioner Sharonda Carlos, said in a statement that the agency is continually focused on improving the services it offers to inmates experiencing mental health problems.

“Any loss of life in our facilities is a tragedy that we feel deeply, and our sympathy remains with Mr. Jones’ family and loved ones,” she said.

Carlos said she appointed a psychiatrist to lead the department’s inmate medical services in May, and the agency is rolling out major improvements to its mental health training for staff.

“Behind every individual in our care is a family hoping for their well-being, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” she said.

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